MetroRiders.Org

I suppose since the number of complaints against rideon is so staggering everybody is being told to cal T.I.C. The trouble is they take so long to respond. When I have an issue with an operator it is something that deserves their immediate attention. Since all county employees (with email) have the same URL, it should not be hard to at least email supervisors and rideon staff DIRECTLY. For example, James Smith would be James.Smith@Montgomerycountymd.gov. It may be a good idea to cc or bcc somebody up the "food chain" so it imposes upon the addressee to respond or to at least personally acknowledge email sent.

I suppose since the number of complaints against rideon is so staggering everybody is being told to cal T.I.C. The trouble is they take so long to respond. When I have an issue with an operator it is something that deserves their immediate attention. Since all county employees (with email) have the same URL, it should not be hard to at least email supervisors and rideon staff DIRECTLY. For example, James Smith would be James.Smith@Montgomerycountymd.gov. It may be a good idea to cc or bcc somebody up the "food chain" so it imposes upon the addressee to respond or to at least personally acknowledge email sent.

I suppose since the number of complaints against rideon is so staggering everybody is being told to cal T.I.C. The trouble is they take so long to respond. When I have an issue with an operator it is something that deserves their immediate attention. Since all county employees (with email) have the same URL, it should not be hard to at least email supervisors and rideon staff DIRECTLY. For example, James Smith would be James.Smith@Montgomerycountymd.gov. It may be a good idea to cc or bcc somebody up the "food chain" so it imposes upon the addressee to respond or to at least personally acknowledge email sent.

Yea that is why Ride-On needs to invest in its future more.

Its easier for Ride On to increase on service over capacity. Ride On does not have the infrastructure to support articulated buses, that would mean having to build a new garage just to support them. Plus, we're working with a county government, what can you expect out of that? Ride On its doing the best it can with all the resources it has. the Flxibles are no narrower than any other 40 foot bus, they're all 102 inches wide.

About the route 55, overcrowding on the route 55 has reached an all time worst. I realize now that the route 55 uses only the 40-foot buses, but it's still not good enough. About a month ago, I was taking the route 55 headed for Germantown, and the bus was a 1993 Flxible Metro-D, which I think has the most seating capacity in Ride On, and a lot of people (including me) ended up standing on the bus, and that bus has narrow aisles. Probably Ride-On should order articulated buses next time.

okay svilter, what fantasy world do you live in? mood plays a huge factor, if somebody had a bad day, simply having to sit next to somebody on the bus could be construed as overcrowding to them because they wanted to sit by themselves.

And about those numbers that randomly appear at the bottom of reciepts, people typically only call those numbers to complain. Especcially if there is no potential rewards (such as circuit city offering a $1000 gift card contest). How many people would call in and say they had a good/mediocre experience. it is not worth their time because there is nothing worth changing in the way the store does it, so why bother wasting your time.

And tell me how Im being short sighted? How is surveying only one stop one time (when there was a delay, which you still have yet to show any solid proof of, such as another rider to support you, or facts from the Ride On office showing that yes the bus went off course, like metro does with their "yesterday's numbers" feature), more scientific than getting a REPRESENTATIVE SURVEY OF THE ENTIRE POPULATION WHICH IS ANYONE WHO RIDES THIS BUS SERVICE!

If the buses are so overcrowded as you say, then yes, there should be larger buses on at those times so that passengers do not need to be passed up.

And there are ways to gauge customer service without random sampling, such as installing video equipment in the buses to record how crowded the bus is, and this could be more useful that just surveying the people on the bus because you could see how people actually behaved on the bus. (it has been my experience that a person being asked will never admit he was at fault), so if person A was straddling two seats, which led to more people standing which leads to him not being able to get off at his stop, of course he is never going to say that i made more people stand because i wanted space. He is immediately going to say that they need bigger buses because people stand too much, or he is going to say that the driver needs to be fired because he did not let him off at his stop (even if it was somebody else that requested the stop, not him)

how am i being short sighted? I am trying to look at the big picture, and if it just one particular stop, then yes they need to fix that, but that does not mean the entire system needs an overhaul, if the other stops are doing fine! I think you are being shortsighted because you refuse to acknowledge that there is a system outside of the two passups that you have refered to.

A bad mood is enough to make a 10 minute wait feel like a one hour wait...

I think shortsightedness is YOUR problem.

I really hope some wheelchair rider tries to get on a Route 55 at this point and if he is repeatedly denied boarding due to crowding, Ride-On could face litigation for inaccessbility to wheelchair riders.

Again, pass ups everyday. Recently, on the route 55 Southbound at Lost Knife road and Montgomery Village Avenue. Reason for passup: No room on bus. 4 passengers passed.

Your right, I will.

Random sampling is a method of gauging customer service. Companies, such as Sears have a policy where customers are asked to call a number to complete a survey. Completion of this syurvey is prompted randomly on a customer receipt.

Your saying is flawed. Not a portion of riders from every stop needs to be surveyed to be scientific. Further, an assessor or supervisor (Ride-On calls coordinators) should be able to gague level of quality in the service.

Further, the operator made the wrong turn, simply out of error, not a detour or accident.

I really blame you all for your shortsightedness.

A truly satisfied customer will provide honest feedback, regardless of mood, for the most part. Also, if Ride-On were providing such high-quality service, mood would never be a factor 99.99999999999999% of the time.

Shortsightedness is the problem.

and what would this scientific approach be? For a good survey, you must get a sample that is representative of the population, and people waiting at one bus stop on one day, is not representative of the entire population of people who ride the 55 bus.

For it to be representative of the entire population of people who ride the 55 bus, you must survey a selection of people from all stops on the bus route, controlling for other variables that may make them more apt to provide a negative response (such as a sudden rain storm made every one very wet and miserable, moods change with the seasons, could have had a bad day at work, etc).

You also must find on time percentages for the route at large, and find out why somebody made a wrong turn...maybe there was an accident, or an unplanned detour that made him unable to hold his route.

I know, Svilter, that you are going to flame me for this comment, but you said to use a scientific approach, and you have not used that at all yet, you have simply relied upon unprovable anecdotes thus far.

Don't call me boy.

Listen boy, you don't know. Just survey riders waiting!And take a scientifc approach okay boy.

Shannon, you'll need to verify the credibility of your "source" with us, because I or we are NOT buying ANY of your claims.

One hour waits on the 55 during peak hours, buses passing you up when they "never showed up", 30 footers on the 55 on weekdays, Phil and his crew not doing anything, blah blah etc on a DAILY basis? Sorry but I am NOT buying that. These are claims so extreme that you'll have to PROVE that they actually occured.

I ride the 55 every single week and I do it MORE than twice a day, and I can tell you that I'VE never waited more than 20 minutes for a bus, I have NEVER seen less than a 35 footer on the 55 on weekdays. Don't question my credibility because I am HERE and I RIDE the route in question and I KNOW whats happening. You do talk some shit for someone who's not even here...

svilter
Route 55 bypassed Lakeforest Transit Center going north at approx. 7pm November 7. Bus made left turn instead on Lost Knife Road. Passengers fuming at the center b/c no bus had shown up since 630pm. Actions of route 55 operator were relayed to a route 57 operator for contact with Central. No further info available at this time.

And how would the passengers at the Lakeforest Center know exactly that they were passed up if the bus never came by? Also, if you want your concerns to be conveyed to Ride-On, wouldn't it make more sense to call the phone number that exists for that purpose, staffed by people whose job is to take down such incident reports and have them forwarded for further investigation, instead of telling a 57 driver?

Also, was this your own observation or one by your source? If it is the latter, would you care to elaborate more on who this person is?

I know Ride On did not operate any CNG buses on Saturday and this might have also included Sunday...outside of these special circumstances, I would like to report to you that a vast majority of 55 blocks (all that I have seen and most that other observers have seen) are operating with 40' buses.

*looks up* Yes god? Can you see me also??

Route 55 bypassed Lakeforest Transit Center going north at approx. 7pm November 7. Bus made left turn instead on Lost Knife Road. Passengers fuming at the center b/c no bus had shown up since 630pm. Actions of route 55 operator were relayed to a route 57 operator for contact with Central. No further info available at this time.

Ok-Since this is a forum for Ride-On complaints. Route 55 Sunday service extremely overcrowded with 30 foot buses in operation on November 6, 2005. This notice will be updated every 2 weeks just for FYI to newcomers here.

LMAO!

svilter
But I dont give a fu++ now cuz there will NEVER be improvement here partly thx to attitude of peoiple like you.

Just showing you why I said what I said.

Let's just stop.

Very few 55 runs include other routes. Those that do almost always operate the 40 footers, even if they only have one 55 trip. Additionally, all route 70 trips, including those operated by Silver Spring, are also susposed to be using 40 foot buses. Some blocks include trips on both the 70 and 55.

There are a few trips that have to operate with 35 or 30 foot buses over the course of the day. This is because after a certain amount of time, all the 55 operators reach the end of their shifts, and they have to drive back to the garage. The same buses then go back out on the 55 with new drivers, but there is a small gap in there where there is no available 40 footer, so the trip is covered by a different block. Also, there are only a certain number of 40 foot buses. If a 40 foot bus breaks down today, and if it is not able to run again until Monday morning, they need to run a bus tomorrow morning. Therefore, they run whatever they can. Given a choice between a 30 foot bus or no bus, which would you take?

Trust me, Ride-On does its best to run 40 footers on the 55 and 70 because that is where they are needed most. But if there are fewer 40 foot buses available than required for service, they will send out what they need to.

Hey Ive never had any problems with anyone here. Everything I write is not personal in any way. I just really like to make my stance felt hard.

*Throws water at hot flames*

Ok let's calm down and try to stop beating up on each other. Let this be the end of the back-and-forth. Let all the above be water under the bridge...sour, nasty water that no one wants to drink anymore.

svilter and all else involved: if you post a problem here, you should expect someone to try and clarify what is being done. You can't fling around allegations of mismanagement without expecting to hit some buttons. If you come out with a problem, don't attack people who are trying to explain what is happening. The passenger is not always right, unfortunately. Try to give it some time from when a problem happens to when you post about it - that's what I always used to tell people when they say they've had problems with the buses I work with.

Others: don't beat up on someone just for presenting a problem that they have. Ride On is, for the most part, a deeply respected transit agency in the area, and as such, the strong wording of svilter's posts might have offended some people. But, we all have to remember how we feel when a bus does not show up or when something else happens that really tries our patience. Most of us, especially the transit buffs, should know that feeling thoroughly.

Any of the transit buffs here know what happens when things like this continue. We have two people paying out of pocket for this resource: the least we could do is respect it.

Truce?

I am a cashier for Cavalia, a cashier for Target, and a member of the Transit Advisory Group for Ride On.

Hey I know that you may be trying to maximize resources but I'm just talking about continuous improvement. Supply does not match demand on the route 55 and I KNOW for a fact that 30 footers are very common even on weekdays on thsi route. My sources I have high respect for, so dont question that. Also, the last few complaints I had were actually concerning Saturday and Sunday service. But I dont give a fu++ now cuz there will NEVER be improvement here partly thx to attitude of peoiple like you. Ride-On operations probs are throughout the system, especially up-county.

What's your job position Raymond?

Ride On made the claim that they will try to assign all the 40 footers to blocks that serve most on the 55. This does NOT mean that every 55 trip will have a 40 footer.

svilter
Don't try to educate me. I know transit operations and to fix this? There needs to be an operations restructuring. Ride-On needs to have it so that the route 55 runs are all for just route 55. Problem fixed. Just do the scheduling changes to do this. Theres already as scheduling problem on the 55 as well as many routes. Further, I meant that most route 55 trips are not using 40' buses and why did Ride-On make thge initial promise?

Didn't they just try to restructure in Germantown? Seems like progress is being attempted, but you can't do it all at once.

You might have already stated this, but where did Ride-On make an iron-clad contractural guarantee that every single bus on the route would be a 40' bus?

If you don't want us to educate you, then you shouldn't try to tell US whats best for us. We try to use our given resources as efficiently as possible so we can squeeze every minute and penny out of every bus, THUS that is why we and most other transit agencies interline. Restruturing runs to fix problems on your half might and probably will create problems on the administration's half. In fact, 55 and 46 blocks already tend to be straighter than most other blocks (55 routes have more of a tendency to return on the 55). However, that does not mean that they do not interline with other routes.

On top of that, I dont know where the hell you're getting all your observations on the 55 from where you are, all the way in Chicago. But from what I've seen while I am HERE in my OWN county where the route in question is actually RUNNING before my OWN EYES, every single last 55 bus I have seen on weekdays for the past month and some weeks have been ALL 40 footers.

Don't try to educate me. I know transit operations and to fix this? There needs to be an operations restructuring. Ride-On needs to have it so that the route 55 runs are all for just route 55. Problem fixed. Just do the scheduling changes to do this. Theres already as scheduling problem on the 55 as well as many routes. Further, I meant that most route 55 trips are not using 40' buses and why did Ride-On make thge initial promise?

I think the RideOn's are quite satisfactory. I ride the 46 buses regularly, with the aid of Metro's excellent trip planner.

Doc

svilter
Unfortunately, Ride-On hasn't been using 40 foot buses, even on peak weekday times.

That's where you're wrong. They have been using them. They just don't have enough of them. Does that make them the worst bus service? Sorry if you think it does, but I beg to differ: consider the following as just one of the reasons I hold my position. Things like this are why I always seem to "side with" the agency - having a knowledge of how things work can help things quite a bit.

Read the following carefully - I cannot think of a concept in another industry I could metaphorically refer to.

Now let me explain a concept to you that most people are not familiar with...perhaps it will provide some insight that will at least let you think twice before you get up in arms about this whole mess:

Major bus systems assign a RUN to a driver (not a route) - the run is that driver's "piece" of work: it tells him where he needs to be at what time and on which routes, when he gets on and off from work, when he gets a break, and all sorts of other nifty information.

This run may or may not have him driving more than one route. Many systems, Ride On included, "cut" (build) their runs by interlining (key word here!!!) routes. This helps to distribute resources across the entire network - what it means, hypothetically, is that the driver gets a run and a bus at the beginning of his shift, and while he might start out driving a 100 from Shady Grove to Germantown Transit Center, that does not necessarily mean he will turn around and do 100s all day long.

Instead, when he arrives at Germantown Transit Center (let's say GTC), his run will have him doing a trip on the 55 to Rockville. He will also keep driving his bus for the entire run, so if he started off with a 5900, he'll still have that 5900 for his 55 trip. Then, when he gets to Rockville, his run might have him drive a 56 from there to Lakeforest. From there, he might have a 56, creating a round trip, or he might have something like a 57 to Shady Grove. For simplicity's sake, let's say that that is the end of his shift, and from Shady Grove he could either take the bus to the garage or hand it off to another driver, depending on what time the run ends and what that run specifically tells him to do. A lot of rush hour routes terminate in the 7 o'clock hour, so at that time a lot of buses go back to the garage (this influx is what can be referred to as a "pull-in").

Only one of that driver's trips, the 55, is a crush load route, and many systems specify a bus type to a run when it will be appropriate for a majority of trips within that run. While a 40' bus might be necessary for the driver's one 55 trip, it might be a waste of gas and/or resources (i.e. that larger bus) when that bus is on its other trips.

Maybe that'll put things into some kind of perspective when it comes down to short buses on big routes.

Thanks for you honest comments. I can just say, finally!

Unfortunately, Ride-On hasn't been using 40 foot buses, even on peak weekday times.

I agree with the problems with Ride On, but I still like it. The route 55 is usually late because of the overcrowding (which is why the route 55 uses the 40-foot buses only, on weekdays), and I don't like the new 5900's series because 1: yes, it's not meant for people to stand and 2: sitting in the front (or low part) of the bus is a pain, especially at night because you can't see what's in front! And I remember being on a bus while the driver is on the cell phone, like once I rode the route 54 to Lakeforest on bus 5911, and the guy was talking for the whole time I was on the bus.

Hey svilter stop talking crap about Ride-on! They do the best they can with the crap funds County council gives them. Move to another part of the country and see what transit services they have in MOST suburban areas, you dont even have to go far. I wish to meet you in the street someday

svilter
I am speaking for people I know that take Ride-On.

Do they have access to the Internet?

To clarify, the detour I was talking about was in reference to operators misunderstanding the stated detour. Passengers were kept waiting on Perry Parkway with no buses showing up, though Perry Parkway was to be bypassed only for Lakeforest bound trips. This is well beside the point i am making. Also the the criticism of me comparing Ride-On to Pace was to show that Pace takes on a different perspective than Ride-On. They do not benchmark on others' performance, rather they seek success of their organization by their own standards. As for public transportation not being a right, why have ADA standards then for public transportation? Federal mandates do require public transportation in areas of low income and poverty. As for 100% on-time performance, I, along with other riders simply want a reliable transit system. Right now, I am actually not in Montgomery County, MD but I am speaking for people I know that take Ride-On.

svilter
oH AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS NOT A PRIVILEGE, IT IS A RIGHT!!

I'm having problems finding that spelled out in the Constitution, the Maryland State Constitution, and the Montgomery County code. Help me find it so we can shut these goons up and show them that every American citizen has the right to transit that runs on time 100%

svilter
oH AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS NOT A PRIVILEGE, IT IS A RIGHT!!

You better explain yourself on this one because there are many places in this country (and world) that do not have public transportation.

svilter
oH AND ABOUT THE 54S, mcps IS NOT SERVING THE CUSTOMERS WHO WANTED TO GET ON TO GET TO POINTS ALONG THE ROUTE TO ROCKVILLE. PASSENGERS WERE KEPT WAITING AND STRANDED!!

Do you honestly mean to imply that you were waiting for a Rockville-bound 54 inside the county fairgrounds? WOW, I never knew transit worked that way nowadays. I'm going to wait for a Medical Center bound 46 bus in the DVD aisle of Best Buys...oh and I no longer have to walk out to the transit center at Lakeforest, I can just wait inside the food court since the 55 will come right into the food court to pick me up.

What kind of detour do you want? The 54 runs right in front of the entrance to the Montgomery County Fairgrounds! Would you want the bus to pick you up at the rabbit house, rooster barn, cow barn, or pig barn? Would you like the bus to shuttle you from the pig barn over to the porta potties?

svilter
Raymond-YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT AND YOUR RESPONSES MAKE NO SENSE AND MISINTERPRET WHAT I HAVE SAID ALL ALONG!

You ever thought the same about yourself?

svilter
Over 1 hour wait on a Saturday for the route 55 and the route 59. Passenger argument with driver b/c bus was extremely late. Police called. This is a sign of things to come. Also, wheelchair riders cannot get on! Bus was a 30 footer again and 32 min late. Fu-- you Ride-On. No respect for your customers so no respect for you! There needs to be changes in Ride-On management. From Carolyn Biggins, Ride-On General Manager to Phil McLaughlin, Ride-On Manager of Operations and Planning (yea right) to anyone else that lets this bs happen. I hope your 30 foot buses burn!

I agree with this - in fact, every time a bus runs more than 5 minutes late, the entire Department of Public Works & Transportation should be restructured. To think we have people running the company who cannot give us a written promise that every single bus will arrive without incident! Right now, only 98.9999% of Ride On trips are completed without injury or incident - TRASH!!! Purge purge purge until we get to 100% satisfaction!

:roll:

svilter
Ride-On must be judged in quality separate from other transit agencies. Take a look at Suburban Chicago's Pace Bus system.

How can you say these two statments right next to each other? All you ever do is expect Ride On to live up to the same standards as PACE/CTA and complain when they don't do things the exact same way. That's not what MetroRiders.org is for. If there is a problem, there is a problem, but you sir are not abiding by my signature.

i DONT THINK i HAVE TAKEN THIS FAR ENOUGH!

oH AND ABOUT THE 54S, mcps IS NOT SERVING THE CUSTOMERS WHO WANTED TO GET ON TO GET TO POINTS ALONG THE ROUTE TO ROCKVILLE. PASSENGERS WERE KEPT WAITING AND STRANDED!!